THE JAMES STROUD CLASSICAL GUITAR COMPETITION BEGINS ACCEPTING ENTRIES IN JANUARY 2020

Inaugural competition takes place June 4-7, 2020 at the Cleveland Institute of Music

CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) will host the first James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition June 4-7, 2020. The competition will begin accepting applications and audition videos in January from classical guitarists aged 14-18.

The competition was established this year to generate meaningful opportunities for gifted young classical guitarists, aiding in their pursuit of advanced artistic studies and professional music careers. With a top cash prize of $10,000 and total prize money of up to $24,000 the competition will make defining differences in the lives of young guitarists.

In its inaugural year in 2020, the competition – in partnership with Armin Kelly and the Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival now entering its 20th year – features top judges coming from as far away as Italy, England and Uruguay.

CIM was named the event’s permanent home in November 2019.

“It is high praise coming from Jim Stroud to choose CIM as his namesake competition’s home base,” said Paul W. Hogle, CIM’s president and CEO. “With such faculty luminaries as Grammy Award winner Jason Vieaux and Colin Davin, CIM is the best possible venue for this prestigious competition. Jim is an accomplished classical guitar enthusiast who has devoted much of his time and energy to teach and inspire talented young artists to love classical guitar as much as he does.”

Founded, nurtured and underwritten by influential Ohio-based classical guitarist James Stroud, the event will feature a festival atmosphere aimed at promoting and celebrating the classical guitar. For Stroud himself, being able to offer this event to aspiring classical guitarists gives him a sense of pride and enjoyment.

“When I was a university student practicing for many hours each day and dreaming of a career as a professional classical guitarist, I often wished I owned a nicer guitar or could attend summer music festivals and master classes,” said Stroud, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in guitar performance from the State University of New York at Fredonia and the University of Akron, respectively. “I knew how important these opportunities were to my professional development, but these essentials were always beyond my financial reach. Through this competition I hope to assist today’s young, hard-working and well-deserving guitar students reach their goals and recognize their maximum potential.”

Through exposure to influential judges within the world of classical guitar and the considerable cash prizes, participation in the competition also offers young artists access to CIM’s considerable resources and is a valuable investment early in their careers.

Stroud, whose teachers included Joanne Castellani and Michael Andriaccio at SUNY Fredonia and Stephen Aron at Akron, has been an active supporter of music through his numerous grants and scholarships for both guitar performance and composition. He is the largest benefactor of the Donald Bohlen music composition scholarship at SUNY Fredonia.